Movement: 10 Damage Bonus STR: +D4 HP: 14
Typical Armor: Studded Leather (2) WP: 10
Skills: Awareness 12, Evade 13, Sneaking 12
Abilities: Lightning Fast
Typical Weapons: Light Crossbow (Skill level 12, damage 2d6), Broadsword (skill level 13, damage 2d6+d4).
"This world was different once. Spirits tell us this was the greatest city in the world before the Ungods woke up. They brought death to our world as a prisoner and unleashed him as their weapon. It took them less than a week to wreck the Old World and killing billions. Humans thought their weapons made them gods but they were wrong and even their "nukes" had little affect on the invaders and their armies of Unmen. We are lucky we found Bloomindale and each other."
--Librarian Boggs, leader of Bloomingdale, a safe haven in Ork City
Bloomingdale's entire community is centered around the Bloomindale Library. It gave shelter and knowledge to those survivors that found it and hope to those that came after. Four-Hundred souls call Bloomindale home now and at times the peace of the place can all most make you forget about the hellscape that surrounds it.
The Librarians, Enna Boggs (5th Level Human Sorcerer), Uther 17 (3rd level Warforged Rogue), and Maria Estevez (3rd level Human Wizard), are the ruling council currently in charge. They hold debates on the three nights of every full moon and every soul has a voice if they so choose.
Unlike many communities Unmen are welcome and they account for about 15% of Bloomindale's population.
While religion is frowned upon there are small sects worshiping Saint Jerome, Tenjin, Thoth, and Deneir.
The Library has proven invaluable to the success of the community and its citizens have fortified the area extraordinary well. The largest threats tend to come from ratlings, dire bats, and monstrous predators that the Ungods have unleashed upon the region.
Each member of the community is trained to use weapons for hunting and self-defense as members of the Guard.
A coven of Green witches helps to train students in the mystic arts and mundane ways of medicine. It is led by Wilhelmina Snow'Owl (3rd level Human Cleric), a half-elf and the wife of Librarian Boggs.
The Blue Sun is a secret society that existed in the Old World and it has access to information and technology from that era. Agents operate covertly in separate cells, with no knowledge of each other, providing monthly reports to their Leaders through dead drops. Bloomindale has two agents operating in the community which is unusual.
Mickey Irskin (2nd Level Human Ranger), is a blacksmith in his late forties that has lived in Bloomindale for nearly thirty years. He has four children but his wife passed on last winter and while he maintains his duties to the Sun his heart is barely in it.
The second agent if Phiona Hammerfall (1st Level Halfing Rogue), a dwarven newcomer, who arrived about a year ago. She is aware there was a Sun agent in the community but was led to believe they passed on and she replaced them.
The denizens of Bloomingdale are guarded yet kind. They protect their home fiercely while allowing traveling merchants, pilgrims, or refugees in their midst though they are heavily supervised at all times.
The Commander of the Guard is Tawny Brandywine (4th Level Halfling Gladiator), halfling born in Bloomindale. She is a skilled warrior, even better scout, and the primary instructor for the Guard.
Rumors (1d12)
1. A werespider lurks in the ruins of an apartment two blocks from the Library. (True).
2. Mickey Irskin's youngest son, Bruce, has been seen having conversations with animals. (False).
3. K'kell (2nd Level Half-Orc Fighter), the community's half-orc veterinarian and the husband of Librarian Estevez, is having an affair with Phiona Hammerfall. (True).
4. Four blocks away is shop that has wall safe that holds a treasure in jewels if someone can crack it. (True).
5. Years ago, a dwarven warrior fell to ratflings eleven blocks away in the Subway and his magical hammer still lies there. (False).
6. A giant albino alligator has a lair in the Subway. (False).
7. Iago Mortenson (1st Level Half-Elf Warlock), the community's Glyphscribe of Deneir, has discovered a copy of the Necronomicon and it is slowly corrupting him. (True).
8. Librarian 17 has a pet parrot named Laverne that is three-hundred years old. (True).
Captain Freedom for Superpowered!
Combat 1
Knowledge 1
Physical 1
Social 1
Stealth 0
Superpower 1
Technology 0
Endurance 21
Lifeblood 42
Move 10m; Fly 20m
Traits: Strong
Origin Agent of the Sons of Liberty
Powers: Common - Agility, Flight, Willpower
Attacks: Unarmed 1d
Armor 3 Suit
Combat 2
Knowledge 0
Physical 2
Social 1
Stealth 2
Superpower 1
Technology 1
Endurance 17
Lifeblood 36
Move 10m; Fly 20m
Weakness Seeks the limelight
Traits: Assassin; Blind Fighter; Pugilist
Origin Alchemy
Powers:
Common: Wealth
Only available at night: Agility; Evasive; Strength
Technology: Blast (Wing Guns); Flight; Signature Weapon: Claws
Attacks: Wing Guns 3d AV 2d; Claws DM+2, 3d AV 1D; Unarmed 2d
Armor 4 Protection
Booster Gold for Superpowered!
Combat 1
Knowledge 0
Physical 2
Social 2
Stealth 0
Superpower 2
Technology 1
Endurance 28
Lifeblood 41
Move 10m; Fly 20m
Weakness Arrogant
Trait Empath
Origin Time traveller from the future
Powers (All powers come from his suit)
Common (Armor, Blast, Flight, Sidekick*)
Force (Protection, Shield)
Attacks Blaster Gloves: 3d AV 2d; Unarmed 1d
Armor 2d Protection
*Skeets - Rank 3
Knowledge 3
Physical 0
Social 0
Stealth 0
Superpower 1
Technology 3
Endurance 20
Lifeblood 30
Move Fly 20m
Weakness No appendages
Trait Savant: History, Mathematics
Origin Time traveller from the future
Powers
Common (Armor, Blast, Flight)
Attacks Optic Blast: 3d AV 2d
Armor 2d
A few years ago I discovered Stellagama Publishing's variations on the Cepheus Engine one of which, the Quantum Engine that powers Barbaric! and Superpowered!, really spoke to me. For one reason or another I moved away from it to the Cypher System, TinyD6, and Savage Worlds but, I've recently rediscovered it and have taken a shot at making some superheroes and supervillains as I ramp up for a new campaign set in DC's Opal City.
The Rook for Superpowered!
Combat 2
Knowledge 0
Physical 1
Social 0
Stealth 2
Superpower 0
Technology 0
Endurance 18
Lifeblood 41
Move 10m
Weakness Activation of Powers takes 1 turn
Trait Blind Fighter
Origin Mystical Avatar
Powers Weapons (Defense, Dervish, Signature Weapon: Pistol)
Attacks Pistol: DM +2 4d AV 1d; Unarmed 1d
Armor 2 (Cloth)
Michael Sloane and his husband Leo were celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary at the Prism club when the gunman opened fire. Michael was shot in the throat but he barely noticed as he watched Leo's corpse slump to the dance floor. Screams of anguish and pain mixed with gunfire as Michael's whole world was violently ripped apart by vicious lunatic. As he sank down on his knees, with each heartbeat bringing him closer to oblivion, an angel in black appeared to him and offered him vengeance. They told him it would give him the power to make his city a better place for all. There was no hesitation as Michael Sloane died and the Rook was born.
The angel Raguel is the Rook's mentor and has provided him with a new face and identity. He is now Peter Carthage a community activist in Opal City which provides the Rook plenty of information on who is being preyed upon so that he may turn the predators into his next kills.
Keepers of the Crypt for Barbaric!
I didn't get into Traveller or the Cepheus Engine until a few years ago. Looking into it I discovered Stellagama's Cepheus Faster Than Light and then their Cepheus Quantum/Quantum Engine and it really captured me. Quantum uses 6-7 Skills, things like Combat, Lore, Sorcery, etc. There are not "Attributes" in the game but it does have Traits that work like Feats in d20 games. I really dig how Omer Golan-Joel, the owner of Stellagama, and his collaborators have expanded the Quantum Engine into horror, superheroes, sword and sorcery, and the post-apocalyptic genres.
I'm a big fan of what they publish and recently picked up Pocket Barbarian a 4 page sword and sorcery RPG. PB uses 2d6 plus Skill with the following results: 6 or less is a Failure, 7-9 is a Partial Success, and 10 or higher is a Full Succes. Skills function more like Attributes in other games and they are Combat, Lore, Physical, Social, Sorcery, and Stealth and you allocate 5 points among them with no more than 3 points in any of them. You then pick an Archetype, which has similar design space to Traits, that grants you Advantage on your die rolls if they apply. Unlike Quantum PB uses a wound system instead of Life Blood and Endurance.
The game also includes Monsters and Spells. Spellcasting is a roll using Sorcery and you lose access to the spell for the rest of the day on a failed roll which reminds me of Shadowdark.
This whole package is $1 and I cannot recommend it enough. I have enjoyed everything Stellagama has published over the years and always look forward to new releases.
I remember seeing Thundarr the Barbarian for the first time on Saturday Morning as a kid. It was this really cool blend of Star Wars, Conan, and Tarzan. It never made sense to me why there weren't action figures.
The first issue from Dynamite came out Wednesday and it's pretty good. Jason Aaron is the writer and we get a tight story that leads into what looks to be a steep battle between Thundarr, Princess Ariel, and Ookla the Mok and a bunch of Sorcerers including Gemini. I hope we get an origin story at some point but I'll take what I can get. My biggest grip is that Dynamite comics tend to feel a bit light on pages compared to Image or DC.
Head to your local comic store before the Demon Dogs get #1.
The session opened with the characters take a bit of time to check on "astrological frequencies" after their weird trip to another Plane last session. Things looked normal so they entered the wizard school.
They started moving South and West since they had not explored those areas yet.
As an aside, I've been a member of Mike Mearls' Patreon for awhile. Over the years he's been working on new math for building Encounters and redesigning monsters, a 5E variation called Odyssey, a 5E version of B/X called Moldvay, and an alternative system for high-level play for 5E. One of the subsystems of Moldvay is his Threat System. Every 10 minutes of real time you roll a d6. If a 6 is rolled something happens. If a 6 isn't rolled that die is set aside and rolled when the next Threat timer sounds off. I used this for the first time this week and combined it with the Torch Timer. I rolled the d6s out in the open so the players could see.
As the group encountered a hive of stingbats I got a 6 on the Threat timer so two goblins entered the scene and were chasing a Wizard's familiar a fight ensued. The characters defeated the goblins and the cat ran off. The characters then debated tracking down the cat when the Threat timer went off again and a different group of adventurers moved into the area.
The character's negotiated with the other group and learned of a second entrance to the school through a local cave that led into the 3rd sub-basement.
At this point the characters, who began to react when the timer went off, started moving faster and with more purpose. One last fight with goblins saw the Threat timer go off and introduce a few more goblins while their torch and the light spell went out. That was the most tense fight of the session with one player focusing solely on lighting a torch for 2 rounds. No one died but they were battered and nervous.
Soon after they decided to leave the school to regroup.
As a DM sometimes things slip my mind and I can easily get caught up in the momentum of play. The Threat Timer really helped me focus and the alarm ratcheted up player tension and reminded me to check for random encounters. When it would go off I'd just make a tick so that on the 6th Threat Timer I'd also remember that lights went out.
I've designed Hexenburg with donjon.com and while I appreciate the map I think I'm going to move to a more abstract model that probably is best described as a point crawl. I tend to think more in set pieces so I think this will suit me better.
I don't want to apply anything sinister to this because, sadly, the people running Hasbro and WotC just aren't great at marketing. They are great at making money and laying people off but not marketing and especially not understanding the DnD consumer.
I've run a Wizards Premiere Network store since 1999 (we opened in 1981) and DnD fans are far more responsive to unpopular decisions made by WotC than Magic players. DnD Fans will very quickly take action to demonstrate those feelings (like cancelling DnD Beyond subs during the OGL fiasco).
I hope we know something by February and I'm looking forward to know stuff especially after truly enjoying the new DnD starter box and both Forgotten Realms books.
Yep, it took this long for the second session of my Open Table Megadungeon for Shadowdark because I chose to start it in December. We were only missing one player from the first session so I view that as a good sign.
We have a Wizard, Cleric, Plague Doctor, Warlock, and 2 Fighters.
Things took a turn because Mike Mearls has a Patreon where he is designing a Basic version of 5E he's calling Moldvay and we got a bunch of playlets material for last week. He talked about his secret is that he makes things he likes so I worked up a minidungeon inspired by Gamma World, Kamandi, Thundarr, and Masters of the Universe. I ran Moldvay with it on Friday night with that group and I decided to give it a run using Shadowdark but made some modifications to the floor plans.
To facilitate this, Zebulon of Thane the expedition's sponsor warned the Characters that strange astrological phenomena occurred in the last few nights and it could have an effect on the magic school because of. how much magic saturated the location.
Sure enough, when the entered Hexenburg the came to a corridor completely unfamiliar to them. The stone was worked and had a pale white color and their torchlight reflected off of it to shed light out to double near. The first room the went into had a very flattering stature with a placard depicting a well-muscled human dressed a lot like He-Man but he had a third eye. One of the players touched it and a secret door was revealed.
Let me take a minute to share that I used Donjon again and while I love it I need to get more comfortable building my own because even with the modifications that secret door took them almost immediately the dungeon's master Osh Keldar, the Mind Mage of Mal'Mordo. A much older Keldar was almost unrecognizable as his much older head was attached to a warforged's body and it looked like it had seen better days.
I don't know who was more curious, the Characters or the Mind Mage. They ended up eating dinner with him where the met his Thri-Keen bodyguards, and his staff who all wore shock collars to prevent them from leaving his Sanctorum. The Warlock read the mind of the halfling woman who manage the kitchen and alerted his comrades that this guy was bad news. Keldar was very curious how they got here and where they were from and mentioned that he was charter member of the Rings of Saturn and was shocked to find out they were unfamiliar with any of them. They also learned that this world was nearly destroyed by an "Atomics Exchange" a millennium ago and the Rings ruled this region with their own fiefdoms.
The Characters got lucky and killed Keldar quickly and discovered that everyone who served him were under his psionic control or had shock collars. From there things became a rescue mission while looking for any treasure and books per Zebulon's request. Keldar had a Ring that grants a +1 to AC and once per day can reduce all damage from one source to 0 and the Wizard now wears it. They also found three books: The Filbeau Verses a survivors account of the Great War that ravaged the planet one-thousand years ago, the Inquest of Amber Dogstar, the file of the investigation of her death, and a children's book, Calliope the Scallop Missed Her School Bus.
The characters were glad to see if they could find their way home when they left the dungeon and once they reported to Zebulon he had many questions for them.
This adventure helped expand my ideas for the Friday game and will have some lingering effects for Hexenburg because I want to communicate that the school is saturated with Arcane energy and is unstable in many ways. It also gave me a new faction for the game.
The characters hit 2nd level at the end of the first session and are about halfway to 3rd. I'm thinking I'm going to slow things down as I work out the ins and outs of the XP system, carousing, and downtime system.
We are schedule to play next Saturday.
HOOP for Dragonbane Movement: 10 Damage Bonus STR: +D4 HP: 14 Typical Armor: Studded Leather (2) WP: 10 Skills: Awarene...
